A confrontation collects a rhythm in Syria while the new country leaders demand that a powerful militia led by the Kurds supported by the United States are disarming and joined in a unified national military force.
Tensions are centered on preparations to establish a goalkeeper government to replace the dictatorship that dropped in early December. The new leaders want the Kurdish militia, the Syrian democratic forces, undertake to abandon its arms as a condition to include in a national dialogue. The dialogue is supposed to lead to the formation of an administration which will governed until the elections can be organized.
Dialogue on the political future of Syria will take place during a conference, but no date has yet been set. Hassan al-Daghim, Head of the Committee appointed by the government responsible for planning the dialogue, said Thursday that armed groups would not be inclusive “unless they lay down arms and integrate” under the Ministry of Defense . “This is a fundamental question,” he added.
This position has raised the prospect that the administration led by the Kurds linked to the Syrian democratic forces and effectively controls an autonomous region in northeast Syria could be excluded from national dialogue and any national guardian government.
THE Syrian democratic forces have always refused to put their arms since the Bashar al-Assad dictator was ousted. The militia, which is mainly made up of members of the Kurdish ethnic minority, was the main American partner in the fight in Syria against the Islamic State terrorist group, which was largely defeated in 2019 after taking over certain parts of the country.
The persistent threat of the Islamic State in Syria has remained a key concern internationally, especially among Western countries.
During a conference in Paris on Thursday to help coordinate global support for the construction of the state in Syria, President Emmanuel Macron in France urged the interim authorities to reach a relaxation with the Kurdish forces, which he qualified “precious allies” which must be integrated into the new political system.
In the years which followed an aid to repel the Islamic State, the militia led by the Kurds consolidated the control of cities in northeast Syria and has often faced with forces supported by turquies in the middle of the maelstrom of political and ethnic divisions in the country.
Turkey, a close ally of the rebel group that led the overthrow of mr. al-Assad and formed the interim government, has for years sought to curb the power of the syrian democratic forces, keeping that the militia is linked to kurdish separatist inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside inside Turkey.
Since the rebels took control of the Syrian capital, Damascus, in December, the fights between the forces supported by the Turks and the Syrian democratic forces led by the Kurds continued to escape in the North East.
The forces of the interim government are too extensive, according to experts, and have still not obtained control over the country, including the Kurdish administration region.
Manbij, a city near the Syrian border with Turkey, was a focal point of the fighting between the forces supported by the Turks and the Kurds. The forces supported by the Turks ripped off control of the city of the militia led by the Kurds in December.
The negotiation of the end of the skirmishes has become among the most urgent challenges for the new leaders of Syria.
The rebellious coalition which overthrew the government of Mr. Al-Assad appointed its chief, Ahmad Al-Shara, as a temporary president and created an interim government led by officials of a regional administration which she had previously directed in the northern province of Idlib.
In doing so, the rebellious coalition has become the de facto power party of Syria. However, Mr. Al-Shara undertook to create an inclusive political process, to write a new constitution and to establish an administration of the goalkeeper who will governed the country until elections, which, according to him, could take years to set up.
Al-Shara inaugurated the committee of seven members on Thursday, which will plan the national dialogue on a new goalkeeper government. The committee was responsible for choosing the participants for the conference on the basis of the public’s expertise and influence, and reflecting the diversity of Syria, although there are no quotas set for the participation of a group.
Thursday, Mr. Al-Daghim, the chief of the committee, underlined this point during a press conference.
“No one will be invited according to religion, institutional links or the affiliation of parties,” he promised.
However, most members of the steering committee have close ties to Mr. Al-Shara and his rebellious coalition, stirring concerns about his promises of inclusiveness in the political process.
In recent weeks, many other militias have agreed to dissolve their forces but, in negotiations with the interim government, the forces led by the Kurds have prompted to be merged into the army as a single military block which can continue To patrol northeast Syria. They also pushed to ensure that the Kurds will be returned the official language of northeast of Syria and that their leaders will continue to administer northeast of Syria.
Tensions between Kurdish forces and Damascus leadership are uncertain about the role of Washington in the region. American support for the Kurdish militia has been crucial to keeping Islamic threats in Syria at a distance.
But President Trump has made no commitment to continue to support the group since its inauguration last month.
Stressing the changing situation, a freeze on the financing of American international aid in January threatened chaos in a Syrian camp sheltering thousands of Islamic State fighters and family members. The frost led to a group based on American support to provide services and security to the camp to briefly stop its work.
At the conference in Paris on Thursday, Mr. Macron urged the Syrian interim government to conclude an agreement with the Kurdish forces.
“Syria must very clearly continue to fight against all terrorist organizations that distribute chaos,” said Macron, adding that cooperation with the forces led by Kurds would be essential to do so.
Addressing the new leaders of Syria, he said that their responsibility for Kurdish fighters was “to integrate them and also to allow these forces to join them”.
Alissa J. Rubin Contributed reports.
